SCEA – SANTA MONICA STUDIO Boss Battle Scenario Contents Combat Designer Test The Assignment 2 Overview 2 ApplicantOverview Challenge 2 Answer Overview 3 W. ThomasHero Grové Playable Character Assumptions 3 December 11-17,Melee: 2008 Hero has no weapon other than himself • Camera 3 • Jump: Hero can jump (no double jump) [email protected] Character Controls 3 Free: Hero can <fill in the blank> Design ONE of 415-425-7163• Characteristics of God of War Boss Fights 4 your own Hero mechanics. This can be anything you The Cavern Visual Description 5 want. Even if it contradicts one of the above.(Please http://www.lion-gv.com Giant Spider Visual Description 6 explain how it would work!) Answer A: “Vertical” 7 Boss Opening Sequence 7 Copyright• Giant Spider The Stage Revealed 8 Attack Sequence 1 9 All “Answer”Level text, game design, layout, and “illustrations” Attack Sequence 2 10 by W. Thomas• Cavern Grové, December 11-17, 2008. Player Offensive Chance 11 Rinse and Repeat 11 All full color photos and renders are used without permission. Challenge The Final Kill Sequence 12 End Sequence 12 SCEA,God of War, Kratos, and “Assignment” text are either registeredThe trademarks Start or copyrights of Sony Computer Answer B: “Horizontal” 13 Entertainment• The America. Hero enters the mouth of a cave and travels down a Introduction 13 dimly lit corridor. The path spills out in an opening that Layout 13 is illuminated by flowing lava. At the center is a large Camera Work and Player Movement 14 hole with steam rising from it. The Hero moves Atlas Shrugged 15 towards the hole when two stands of webbing fly out of Opening Sequence 16 the darkness and pull the Hero down into the hole. The Spider Attacks 17 Hero now lies in the depths of a Cavern with no way The Final Kill Sequence 17 out and a Giant Spider looking for its next meal… from here you are to design a boss encounter! The Goals • Define the look and gameplay of the boss • Define the look and gameplay of the level SCEA Santa• MonicaDefine Combat the strategy Designer the Test Hero mustApplicant: use to W. defeat Thomas the Grovéboss Email: [email protected] Phone: 415-425-7163 Page: 1 of 17 • Define the final kill sequence for the boss CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 1 12/15/2008 The Assignment Overview Challenge Hero The Start • Melee: Hero has no weapon other than himself The Hero enters the mouth of a cave and travels down a dimly • Jump: Hero can jump (no double jump) lit corridor. The path spills out in an opening that is illuminated • Free: Hero can <fill in the blank> Design one of your by flowing lava. At the center is a large hole with steam rising own Hero mechanics. This can be anything you want. Even if from it. The Hero moves towards the hole when two stands of it contradicts one of the above. (Please explain how it would webbing fly out of the darkness and pull the Hero down into the work!) hole. The Hero now lies in the depths of a Cavern with no way out and a Giant Spider looking for its next meal… from here you Boss are to design a boss encounter! • Giant Spider Level The Goals • Cavern • Define the look and gameplay of the boss • Define the look and gameplay of the level • Define the strategy the Hero must use to defeat the boss • Define the final kill sequence for the boss SCEA Santa Monica Combat Designer Test Applicant: W. Thomas Grové Email: [email protected] Phone: 415-425-7163 Page: 2 of 17 Answer Overview Playable Character Assumptions Character Controls The Assignment Overview implies that the hero is not Kratos— after all, Kratos is well known for his double jump and his use L2 R2 of the Blades of Chaos. For the purposes of this test, however, L1 R1 I’ve decided to think of the hero as Kratos, or a character very similar in demeanor and control to Kratos. God of War II set a precedent of stripping most of the hero’s abilities, so perhaps our hero has gone through a similar ordeal, SELECT START not only stripping him of his Blades of Chaos, but also of his ability to double jump. Camera This boss fight follows the God of War tradition of designer- placed third person cameras. When the player is in control of the hero, the camera placement, spline of movement, and zoom should all serve to keep the hero in view and unobstructed. I would prefer it if no camera cuts are Basic Controls necessary to achieve this during direct control of the hero. (Cuts Left Analogue Stick: Free Roaming Movement are fine for quick time events, cut scenes, and during normal X Button: Jump (single) adventuring, but could be disorienting during a boss battle.) Square Button: Light Melee Attack Triangle Button: Heavy Melee Attack O Button: Grab During brief interruptions in player control (cut scene like Often used as the initial Quick Time Event input moments), the camera placement and focus are used to: Additional Controls • Increase intimacy, dramatic tension, or epic triumph R1 Shoulder Button: Interact • Give clues as to key puzzle areas, goal, and enemy weak L1 Shoulder Button: Block/Deflect (my “free” mechanic for Answer A) spots L2 Shoulder Button: Atlas Shrugged (my “free” mechanic for Answer B) Right Analogue Stick: Used in previous GoW games for directional evade The use of this input is not critical to completing the boss challenges detailed bellow. SCEA Santa Monica Combat Designer Test Applicant: W. Thomas Grové Email: [email protected] Phone: 415-425-7163 Page: 3 of 17 Characteristics of God of War Boss Fights • Multiple States/Sequential Goals • The appearance of danger • Puzzles masked in the skin of an epic encounter For the most part, boss battles in the God of War series present little danger of failure to the player. While this might seem like a bad idea, alienating hardcore players, it is actually wonderful; allowing all players to experience the thrill of an epic win, and indeed the entire game. The mental satisfaction of figuring out the puzzle, combined with highly dramatic visual payoff of the coup de grâce, results in a victory that is very satisfying to the player—despite a relatively low combat execution risk. If I were responsible for designing or executing a boss battle in God of War III, I would keep these inclusive design goals in mind. Opening boss from God of War II. God of War I had a great opening, God of War II upped the epic ante; I can’t wait to see the first boss in God of War III! SCEA Santa Monica Combat Designer Test Applicant: W. Thomas Grové Email: [email protected] Phone: 415-425-7163 Page: 4 of 17 The Cavern Visual Description The cavern walls are blanketed with dense webs and drained corpses. There are a few holes in the wall or floor which periodically expel a burst of steam. The scene is lit by the odd shaft of light and the warm glow of lava; not necessarily visible in the scene. The “deadness” of these matte cobwebs should allow them to fade into the The style of the webs in these photos could work well as ornamentation for background, allowing any gameplay relevant spider webs to stand out. the cavern environment. Note: the webs in these photos are outdoors but the actual cavern ones would be in a darker setting, illuminated by lava and perhaps the odd shaft of light. SCEA Santa Monica Combat Designer Test Applicant: W. Thomas Grové Email: [email protected] Phone: 415-425-7163 Page: 5 of 17 Giant Spider Visual Description The Giant Spider’s body alone should be visually imposing—at least 3 times the volume of the player’s. Her legs—measuring as long as 6 meters each, and her ample fangs—dripping with poison, add to her menace. Her legs are slender and hairless, the forelimbs almost knife- like. There should be some sort of marking on the spider’s back, and perhaps it can glow/flash as an attack tell. The spider should look more like this than like a tarantula. SCEA Santa Monica Combat Designer Test Applicant: W. Thomas Grové Email: [email protected] Phone: 415-425-7163 Page: 6 of 17 Answer A: “Vertical” Opening Sequence Fade In The hero’s back is to the ground, the Giant spider hovering over him. At this point the player is unable to move. The spider grabs for the hero with her front legs, but the hero grasps them just in time. Cue Quick Time Event An “O” button pulses in the center of the screen, prompting the player to mash on the O button. There is a struggle back and forth until the player’s input reaches a certain threshold at which point: The hero overpowers the giant spider, flinging its front legs to the side and promptly kicking her in the face. SCEA Santa Monica Combat Designer Test Applicant: W. Thomas Grové Email: [email protected] Phone: 415-425-7163 Page: 7 of 17 The Stage Revealed Surprised by the resilience of her prey, the spider winches herself up her thread of silk. The camera pulls back to keep both the spider and the hero in view. The stage is revealed to be a deep cavern. To the left is a short platform, to the right a taller platform, too high to reach. The spider sits in the middle, slightly higher than the platform on the right.